This Beating Heart

Laura Barnett was born in 1982 in south London. She studied Spanish and Italian at Cambridge University, and newspaper journalism at City University, London. As a freelance arts journalist, features writer and theatre critic, Laura has worked for the GUARDIAN, the OBSERVER and the DAILY TELEGRAPH amongst others.
THE VERSIONS OF US, her debut novel, was a no. 1 bestseller and has been translated into 23 languages. She is also the author of GREATEST HITS and GIFTS. Her new novel, THIS BEATING HEART, will be published in August 2022.

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'Barnett's well-crafted backlist is big on emotional acuity and this novel is no different, forging from Christina's grief an insistence that we think more creatively when it comes to happiness, and especially to the shapes that our families might take'
OBSERVER

At forty-three, Christina Lennox thought her future was settled: marriage to Ed, children, a house of their own.

But this is not that future: her marriage has ended, fractured by the stress of five rounds of IVF and two miscarriages. Overwhelmed by grief and disappointment, Ed has relocated to San Francisco and Christina's dream of becoming a mother rests on persuading him to let her go ahead with one final round of IVF, using the last frozen embryo they have stored at the clinic.

But when Ed drops a bombshell that threatens to undo everything Christina has strived for, she is forced, once again, to realign her plans: is this the end of her dream, or an opportunity to consider a different - perhaps happier - version of her future?

Barnett's well-crafted backlist is big on emotional acuity and this novel is no different, forging from Christina's grief an insistence that we think more creatively when it comes to happiness, and especially to the shapes that our families might take.
A warm, emotional story with brilliant characters.
An uplifting tale about new beginnings.
I found this beautifully told tale of disappointed motherhood moving, but the best bit for me was the lively South London scene Barnett conjures up.
Barnett writes beautifully about relationships and the possibility of finding a very different happy ever after from the one you were expecting.
Laura Barnett weaves an inspiring story about shifting perspective and finding light in the darkness.
A compelling read.
What makes Barnett's novel soappealing is the realistic steps taken by Christina so that she may improve her ownlife - it's not easy but, as Barnett suggests, nothing worth doing ever is.